The ‘Second Amendment Summer Tax Holiday’ exempts ‘ammunition and firearms as well as related accessories’.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has been engaged in a bitter battle with Florida legislators over immigration policy. Ron DeSantis released his $115.6 billion proposed state budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year online late on Sunday. He avoided the usual fanfare that comes with announcing a new spending plan.

According to its website, the blueprint for spending is “more that $3 billion lower than current year budget” but it’s still higher than his $114.4 billion 2024-25 proposal.

Highlights include new tax relief such as the “Second Amendment Summer”, a tax holiday that runs from Memorial Day until July 4 and exempts “ammunition and firearms and accessories related to them” from sales taxes, and “Tool Time”, a tax holiday lasting a week, which “exempts certain tools and equipment used only by skilled workers.”

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DeSantis, as he suggested in his comments from last week, also proposes steep increases for state police and firefighter: 20% for entry level sworn officers, 25% veteran sworn officers and 25% firefighters.

According to state law, he was required by Sunday to submit a budget. The law states that his proposal must be submitted “at least thirty days before the annual legislative session” which starts on March 4, this year.

DeSantis makes recommendations to the Florida GOP-controlled Legislature. The Legislature is responsible for preparing Florida’s annual budget. The governor can then veto specific items.

The budget process this year may be unusually intense.

The Governor and legislative leaders, House Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami) and Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula), are engaged in a verbal battle over legislation that would respond to the aggressive agenda of President Donald Trump against illegal immigration.

He spoke with reporters Monday morning at the Capitol to discuss his plan. The governor noted that the overall state workforce would be reduced by 741 positions. He said that the plan also “beefs” up specific areas of the workforce.

Page 356 of his Budget, for instance, shows that nearly $1.5 Million of the $500 million he has set aside for the Division of Emergency Management will be used to create 15 new full-time jobs “for immigration enforcement.”

Will the budget be tainted by anger over the immigration bill?

The 60-day legislative session, which begins soon, will reveal how the immigration debate affects budget writing.

DeSantis, for example, would spend another $42.5million on ongoing heating, ventilation, and airconditioning improvements and window replacements in the Florida Capitol. Perez had previously questioned the cost of this project.

The Florida Capitol Renovations have caused disruptions for a decade.

The bill passed by the Legislature during a special meeting called TRUMP Act, or “Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy”, is entitled “Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy”.

Its highlights include the death penalty being imposed on immigrants who enter the country illegally, are convicted of capital crimes and the $5,000 fine for government officials who violate federal immigration laws.

The bill (SB2-B) requires that any illegal immigrant convicted of a criminal offense and who is also a member of an organized gang be sentenced to a maximum term.

It would also make Wilton Simpson, currently the Trilby Republican Agriculture Commissioner, the “chief Immigration Officer” in order to ensure that local law enforcement officials assist federal immigration authorities, among other things.

DeSantis supporters have said that Simpson cannot be trusted to enforce immigration laws because the agriculture industry has relied on undocumented workers, particularly field workers, for a long time.

Perez and Albritton rejected DeSantis idea to give him the authority to suspend head of law enforcement agencies who, “in (his) judgement …, acted in bad faith”, by not complying. The two also refused to prohibit the transfer of funds by undocumented migrants to their homelands.

DeSantis said on Monday that his staff had held conversations with lawmakers and that they were “landing the plane” on immigration legislation soon.

DeSantis teased some of the budget during a Destin visit

DeSantis, who appeared in Destin to continue his criticism of the Legislature’s Immigration Bill on Friday, previewed two items from his budget proposal. These included pay increases for Florida Highway Patrol officers in particular as well as continued tax savings.

He said, “We will be looking to see if there are any taxes that we can eliminate.” “I think we should crack down on the property tax in the state. We can’t do this in the Legislature, we would need to amend the Constitution, because property taxes are local.

DeSantis said, “We must limit property taxes more than we do (already).” “I think the homestead deduction should be dramatically increased for people. It would make a big difference, because you know how much home prices have increased.